Just Me - India

What is RTI Act?

• It allows individuals to request for information from government departments.
• This information is usually in the form of files with jottings on it by various government (public is a misnomer) servants.
• It was enacted less than a year ago.

How does it help?

• It was one of the few forward looking acts, allowing for greater transperancy in workings of the 'babus' who serve their political masters.
• It allows ordinary individuals (you don't need to be a govt. babu) to request for information on status of projects etc. This is of great help given the fact that the common man usually doesn't have a clue as to what is happening to the application he sent for pension, or why a certain public project was stopped.

Was the act implemented in its true spirit?

• Yes and No.
• In some states like Maharashtra this act was indeed implemented to a reasonable extent, while others it was not.

 

What is the government proposing to do:

• It plans to severely restrict the information that can be requested as part of this act.
• Specifically except for some areas like social development, 'file jottings' of the government babus will not be disclosed. Only some basic information will be disclosed.

What is the impact of such a decision:

• The real usefulness and teeth of this act will be lost.
• This is because many important points and decisions on project files are actually noted in file jottings by govt babus.

Why is the govt. proposing to do this:

• It does not have an answer.
• But, it is easily discernible that, it is doing so under the pressure from Government Babus and its Ministers.
• These folks do not want the common man to know what decision they took and why.
• The govt. babus are used to not being questioned by the common man, doing things at their own pace, guaranteed employment (irrespective of performance) as long as they keep their political masters happy.
• It helps keep the spirit of: "Kiss up, and Kick Down', which is exactly how they like it.
• Inspite of the opposition from many people it knows that it need not care. After all it can win elections easily by dividing the society on the lines of caste and religion(which they are eager to do). What does a ordinay villager know about RTI act after all, it knows a few individuals like Anna Hazare and their likes, and some media houses they need not care for.

The question therefore is:

• What is government and its babus afraid of? What do they have to hide.
• How long will ordinary people be treated like second grade citizens compared to the government babus and their political masters.
• Have we sent away the Britishers and replaced them with inefficient and inept bureaucracy ?